The Paley Center for Media gets in the Olympic spirit with a new collection

The Paley Center for Media, with locations in New York and Los Angeles, is getting into the Sochi spirit with a groundbreaking new permanent archive culled from broadcasts of past Olympic games.

The U. S. Olympic Archive presented by Gordon Crawford is a collection of material that features more than 1,300 hours of Olympic and Olympic-related programs, many in full unedited blocks of programming just as they originally aired on American television.

Crawford is Chairman of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation as well as being a Paley Center trustee emeritus. Passionate about the Olympic movement, Crawford spearheaded the efforts to bring these recordings to the museum. “I’m thrilled that these broadcasts will now have a home at the Paley Center so that the public will always have access to this shared cultural history,” says Crawford.

“Working closely with the United States Olympic Committee we’ve put together a very comprehensive collection,” explains Maureen Reidy, Chief Marketing Officer for the Paley Center. “For the first time ever, all ages can come here and experience many, many historic Olympic moments.”

Those moments include, but certainly are not limited to, ‘The Miracle on Ice’ from 1980, Kerri Strug’s final vault from Atlanta in 1996, the United States Women’s Soccer team capturing gold in 2004 and Michael Phelps winning eight gold medals in 2008.

“When you watch any of these competitions, you truly are transported back to that time and it’s really thrilling to watch these events as they unfold in real time,” says Reidy.

In addition to debuting the new collection, the Paley Center is partnering with NBC to show Olympic coverage on the big screen at both facilities.

Everything is free and open to the public and as an added a bonus, the first 40 people to visit the U.S Olympic Archive will receive an official gift from the U.S.O.C.

“There’s no need to worry if you can’t make it Sochi, we have your ticket to all of the action here at the Paley Center,” says Reidy. “Come in and watch what’s happening in Russia right now on the big screen, and then you can take some time to look back at past Olympic performances. We have it all right here, and, believe me, you will be inspired. ”

For more information about The Paley Center for Media and The U. S. Olympic Archive presented by Gordon Crawford, please visit paleycenter.org.